Textile fabric



March 31, 1931,

R. 0. JENNINGS 1,799,016

TEXTILE FABRIC Filed Oct. 29, 1926 INVENTQR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 31, 1931' UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERT GOULDJENNINGS, OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE R. G. JENNINGS YARN CLEANING MACHINE CO. INC., OF ELMIBA, NEW YORK, A CORPORA'IION OF NEW YORK TEXTILE FABRIC Application filed October 29, 1926. Serial No. 144,928.

This invention relates to improvements in textile fabrics, and more particularly in some of its aspects, to improvements in knit fabrics such as are ordinarily produced by cir- I cular or other knitting machines.

It is the general object of the invention to stitches of the fabric asto strengthen said fabric and improve its wearing qualities, and also to impart thereto a unique and pleasing decorative effect.

Still another object of the invention is to so superpose upon a knit fabric, and to entwine with the wales of the fabric, certain threads in addition to the fabric threads so as to provide distinct stripes and like decorative effects running longitudinally of the fabric;

Other objects will be in part pointed out in the following detailed description of cer tain illustrative but preferred'embodiments ofthe invention, and will be in part obvious in connection with said description.

The invention accordingly comprises a product possessing the features, properties, and the relation of components which will be exemplifiedin the producthereinafter described and the scope of the application of whichwill be indicated in the claims.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, referonce is had to the following detailed descrip; tion, and to the accompanying drawings, in which? i I Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a fragment of fabric embodying the invention and showing diagrammatically. the general improved decorative effect. V i

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a fragment of fabric embodying the invention, the threads being shown as magnified and the stitches pulled apart both longitudinally and stitch structure. Fig. 3 is a front view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a variation of the decorative stitch. Fig. dis a view similar to that of Fig. 2, but showing another variation of the decora tive stitch structure, and

Fig. 5 is a front elevation similar to Figs. 1 and 3 depicting another variation of the improved decorative arrangement. Referring to the drawing for a detailed description of the illustrative embodiments of the invention there shown, and, first, to the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2,it

transversely in order to clearly disclose the will be observed particularly from Fig. 2

that a rib knit fabric A of ordinary construction has a series of inter-looped longitudinally disposed stitches forming the front or. outside wales indicated generally at'B, the successive transversely disposed outer Wales being designated by B, B B etc. There is also a corresponding longitudinal series of inter-looped stitches forming the rear or inside wale indicated generally at C, the successive transeversely disposed inner wales beingdesignated as C, C G etc. The stitches are arranged in transverse-courses indicated generally at D, and the successive longitudinally positioned courses are indicated at 1), D etc. The stitches are inter-looped with each other both longitudinally and transversely in a manner commonto this class of textile fabrics, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. It will be understood that in Fig. 2 the stitches are shown as being stretched apart both longitudinally and transversely for the purpose of clearly disclosing the structure. i

As clearly, shown in Fig. 2, it will be seen that a threadE, in addition to the threads forming the regular fabric stitches, is intertwined inthe form of a bight with the Stitches of the wale B of the fabric. There may be as many of these decorative threads E as desired and they may be spaced apart or arranged in spaced groups as preferred toimpart thedesired fabric reinforcement and decorative appearance, but only one such thread is shown in order to simplify the disclosure and toshow the. structure clearly.

This decorative thread may be laid in position by hand or in any desired manner, a convenient, economical and satisfactory method being disclosed in applicants copending application, Serial No. 144,672, filed October 28, 1926. The decorative threadmay be of a color to contrast with the fabric thread so as to emphasize and enhance the ornamentation.

Accordingto the embodiment of. Fig.2,

the additional or decorative thread E'is arranged in a series of successive reversely. arranged turns forming loops or stitchesE, disposed at the right side of the supporting wale B with the loops thereof facing toward the left, while thereversely disposed loops or stitches E are disposed at the left of the same Wale and opening or facing toward the right. The transversely disposed stretches or lengths E of the thread E connect with theadjacent reversely disposed loops E and E preferably lying beneath the two longitu dinal fabric threads, forming the outer stitch loop of the outer wale B and lying above the two adjacent inner fabric threads forming parts, respectively, of the'twoadjacent'stitches which form parts of the inner wales lying at either side of the outer wale B It will thus be seen that tllQldB'COIfltlVG thread E is entwined or inter-loopedwith the threads of the wale B so as'to be supported by the latter, and furthermore that the outer parts or ends of the loops or stitches E and E lie slightly beyond the respective outer sides of the wale so as to be somewhat 7 its resistance to wear. It isto beobserved that the decorative figure imparted. by the decorative threads may be varied by changing the spacing or grouping of these threads, or: by varying their color in contrast with 7 each otherand in contrast with the color of the fabric itself. Thus varying forms of stripes may be applied to the fabric.

In the diagrammatic representation of- Fig. l'the general appearanceof a: fragment, of fabric A is depicted, there being a longitudinal stripe formed by three decorative threads laid in adjacent outer ribs or wales B of the fabric. In this view the outer wales are designated B and the inner wales are designated C, while the transverse stitch courses of the fabric are designated D. Each: individual stripe formed by the respective' decorative threads isrepresented by the relatively heavy staggered short lines, disposed at opposite sides of wales B designated generally by reference F. The dots between respective adjacent ends of the staggered lines represent the horizontal strands E of the decorative thread, which may show slightly between threads of the outer stitch loop, as mentioned. It will be understood that the exposed parts of the decorative threads will be revealed to view in varying degrees dependentupon many. factors, such as the character. of'boththe fabric and decorative threads, the relative tension of'the fabric and decorative threads, the contrasting colors, etc. It will thus be possible to vary the decorative-effect over quite a wide range, even in the form of decorative stitch above disclosed.

The ornamentation may be still further varied and; enhanced by changing the form of stitch of the decorative thread, as. suggested in Fig. 4; This view depicts'a frag mentzof fabric A in a manner similar to that of Fig. 2, and the corresponding elements of the fabric are designatedby, the same reference characters. The decorative thread E is entwined and supportedby one of the external wales, as wale B but in this case theloops or stitches E disposed at the right of the wale, arefrelatively short ex: tending, in the embodiment shown, over a length 'of" one stitch as in Fig. 2, while the reversely disposed loops orstitches E at the 'leftside of the same wale, are com arative'l'y long, extending over the length 0 ap'luraliityof' successive fabric stitches. These long stitches may span two, three, four, or more successive st-itches or courses. As shown, the longdecorative stitch E may and preferablyl does thus bulge laterally away fromthe sideof the wale B forming a balloon effect or balloon stitch, which is effective in; em phasizing the stripe andenhancingthe decorativ'e appearance of the fabric.

In a fabric'whereinthe balloon stitch is employed: the principal decorative effect- 'is imparted. by the-balloon stitches, due to the relatively. greater extent of exposed thread thereof and. to its position away from'jcontact with or partial concealment by the wale. The loop E- is relatively inconspicuous in comparison with the balloon stitch. The decorative stitches including both the long and the shortstitchesmay be applied to the fabric by. hand. or in a manneras described in said copending, applicatiomwhenthe fabric' A is tensionedlongitudinally so astQ cause stretching thereof, while the decorative threadis applied at a less tension; The result of; this isv that the ballooning of the longstitches E is caused or increased by a. greater degree of longitudinal shrinkage of the fabric when the tension thereon is re- Fig. 1, the general appearance of a fabric having a plurality of rows of balloon stitches E each of which spans three adjacent stitch courses 1) of the fabric. The stripe effect is also shown as being varied by the grouping and spacing of the longitudinal rows of stitches.

A difierent arrangement of balloon stitch is indicated in Fig. 3, which is a diagrammatic representation similar to Figs. 1 and 5, of a fragment of fabric A. It will be noted that in the other embodiments of the invention, each of the decorative threads E is entwined throughout its extent with the same fabric wale. In Fig. 3, however, the decorative thread E is shifted or transposed from one wale to another. As shown, this thread, for example, that shown on the right in Fig. 3 is first entwined with the wale designated B at E forming the balloon loop attached to the left side thereof. Proceeding from the top of the figure downwardly this same thread is next transposed to the left across the inner wale C and then entwined with the next adjacent outer Wale B to the left to form a balloon stitch E protruding from the left side thereof and attached thereto. The next transposition is made to the right so the next successive stitch E is attached to the wale B as before, and so on. Each of the other threads forming the decorative stitches may be similarly transposed and attached to the respective wales, the result being that the fabric is provided with a plurality of stripes extending generally longitudinally but deviating from a straight line to form a Zigzag or grapevine stripe. It is clear also that the grouping and spacing of this form may be varied, as mentioned in connection with Fig. Also it will be clear that the invention may be applied to other character of fabric, such as the flat knit fabric, as distinguished from the ribbed fabric shown.

Since certain changes may be made in the above product and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A rib knit fabric having a non-knitted yarn intertwined in the fabric in the form of a bight, a portion of said bight extending eoursewise and between the legs of a loop of a face Wale and the legs of loops of adjacent Wales.

2. A rib knit fabric having a non-knitted yarn intertwined in the fabric in the form of a bight, the two leg portions of said bight extending coursewise and between the legs of 

